Let Her Go
by Gurly Glitz
Summary: Troy abandoned Gabriella without a word and got together with Sharpay on the night of a dance. Shattered, Gabriella avoided Troy at all costs to nurse her broken heart, and became protective of herself, because she learnt that love hurts and true love doesn't exists. But what happens when Troy wants her back? Will she push him away to protect her heart or will she let him in?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Just a fun story that came to my mind, so I decided to pen it down and see how it goes! ****Don't worry though, I will not be neglecting Romance At Work :) it's rated M for later chapters but beginning its all about their break-up and love. Oh, and let me know if you want me to continue it because I kinda wrote it on a whim so I'm not really sure how this would pan out :)**

"Hey Gabriella, your father and I are going out for dinner. You okay with waiting for Troy yourself?" Maria asked.

"Yeah mom, I'm okay. Troy will probably show up in a while," Gabriella replied, smiling as she thought about Troy, the most amazing guy she have ever met. He is kind, caring, sensitive, thoughtful-

"Alright, goodbye dear," my mom interrupted her thoughts.

"Bye," she replied.

Maria smiled fondly at her only daughter, dressed in a beautiful dress, waiting for her prince to whisk her to the dance she could never stop talking about.

Gabriella waited in the living room for Troy to arrive, getting excited as she thought about the dance. She wanted to see him, feel him, hear him, just be near to him because she loved him so much. However, her thoughts were again interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

"Hey Gabs! Are you on your way here already?" Gabriella smiled as she recognised the voice to be Taylor.

"Not yet Tay, Troy's not here yet," she answered.

"Damn girl, send him a text, ask him to hurry, because the dance is starting soon!" Taylor shouted, trying to let Gabriella hear her over the mass of screaming voices at the dance.

"Yeah sure Tay, will do! See you soon!" Gabriella said with a huge smile on her face and hung up. She called Troy but to no avail, so she sent him a couple of texts, asking him to hurry.

After 20 minutes with no sign of Troy, Gabriella started to get worried. Where is Troy? Why haven't he turned up yet? Is he okay? Did he get into a car crash? The last thought made her blood run cold. No way, she thought, Troy's probably just stuck in a jam, he'll arrive soon.

When the minutes ticked by with no signs of Troy, Gabriella gave up and called Taylor.

"Gabs! You on your way here already?" Taylor's delighted voice filled her ears.

"Tay, Troy's not here, I'm worried about him. What if he got into an accident or something? Its not like him to just disappear with no texts or whatsoever." Gabriella rambled on nervously.

"Don't worry! He's probably stuck in a jam. How about you just come to the dance and shoot him a text telling him you're at the dance? You can have fun while waiting for him," Taylor suggested.

"Hey that's a great idea. Alright! Be there in 10, seeya!" Gabriella hung up and called a cab to bring her to the dance, her mind not leaving Troy. Somehow, she felt a sense of dread in her stomach, the kind of feeling when you know something bad is going to happen. Its just a matter of sooner or later.

~At the dance~  
"Hey Gabs you made it!" Gabriella was greeted by Taylor. There was a chorus of hello's from the rest of her friends. Smiling widely, she said, "well let's rock this party girls!"

After dancing to 5 hipster songs Gabriella and the girls were wiped out, and just hung out at a table. While having fun, Gabriella just couldn't shake off the nauseous feeling about Troy. She felt that something was going to happen, she felt it. She knew it. The lingering question was when.

"Gabby! Look!" One of her friends shouted, pointing to something behind her. Gabriella turned and her breath caught. The lingerjng question has been answered. Troy, in all his glory and sophistication stood at the entrance, wrapped in a tux that looked amazing on him.

Gabriella was so surprised to see him that it took a full 5 minutes to see the blond that was beside him, who had her arm curled around him. _Sharpay._ That girl had it in for Gabriella since she entered East High. Sharpay hated Gabriella since the first day of school because Gabriella messed up the status quo in East High. But this time, it would seem, that Sharpay had knew Gabriella. She hit her right in the heart, where it hurts most.

And Sharpay had Troy with her. She had Troy on her side. She had Troy with her.

Looking at the couple, every second was like a knife twisting in her heart, but she couldn't stop watching. She watched as Troy bent down to capture Sharpay's lips into a kiss. She watched as Sharpay moaned into the kiss and slid her fingers in his hair. She watched as they pulled away. She watched at they smiled at each other with eyes so filled with love. Unable to control herself, Gabriella put down her drink and started to make her way to the both of them.

"Gabs..." the warning in Kelsi's tone was evident, but Gabriella ignored it and continued marching towards them. She pushed Sharpay away from Troy and slapped her, labelling her as a "whore" with a voice so filled with hatred.

She heard the gasp of Troy directly behind her. She expected him to be mad at her, but she thought he would have some humanity in him to let her off, based on the two months they were together. Looks like she was wrong. Troy pushed her to the ground and tended to Sharpay immediately, caressing her red cheek with tender care. Then he turned to Gabriella and slapped her. "You fucking go near her again and it won't be just a slap, got it?"

Tears stung her eyes. "But, Troy, aren't we together? Weren't you supposed to bring me to the dance? Why are you with her?"

Troy let out a laugh. "Together? Gabriella please. You and I, we were never together. I told you I don't do relationships, and you kept your distance immediately. What's a guy supposed to do in times like this? So of course I lied and said we were together, to get into your pants. Not as satisfying as I thought though. But its okay. I'm okay with having the shorter end of the stick."

Her eyes widened in shock as she processed all this information. When everything sunk in, that everything between them was fake, he didn't love her, he just wanted to have sex with her; her hand made its way to his cheek and hit it with a loud sound. "Bastard," she spit.

Troy touched his tender cheek and shoved at her so hard she almost fell backwards. "Get out," he made out.

Tears clouded her vision as the rest of the student body laughed at her. She ran out. She ran home, wiping tears away as she ran.

~At home~

Gabriella sat on her bed as she allowed her tears to fall freely. What was she thinking? Troy wasn't one for relationships. He made that clear from the start. Why had she believed him? Why did she fall in love with him? Why did she gave up her virginity to him? Stupid stupid Gabriella... But, she could feel it. She felt Troy. It felt real. Maybe, maybe if she tried hard enough, if she dressed prettier, if she sacrificed enough for him, she could make him want her again.

Call her blinded by love, but she couldn't help it. Troy was the only boy that made her feel loved, made her feel cherished. When she was with him, she felt sexy. She felt attractive. She felt alive. He made her confident, and she cannot continue without him. She was weak without him. She was nothing without him. That's why mama told me to be careful with my heart, she thought. If everything falls through, it hurts, its hurts a lot.

But she couldn't hide the truth. She wanted Troy.

The next day of school, Gabriella made herself look pretty for Troy. She curled her hair the night before, she did her make-up, giving herself smoky eyes and using harlot red lipstick, which gives her an aura of sophistication and mystery. She picked a strapless yellow dress, which looked lively and cheerful. Next, she put on her black heels, giving her outfit a nice finish. She grabbed her stuff and went to school, trying to swallow her pride and try to make Troy want her again.

~At school~

"Troy..." his name fell off her lips so naturally. He turned around and his breath caught. She looked absolutely stunning in her bright yellow dress, like a blot of sunshine among all these people. But, she didn't mean anything to him, she was nothing but a one-night stand, he told himself. He should ignore her.

Gabriella saw smiled, noticing Troy's reaction to her, but her face fell the moment he turned back to his locker, ignoring her. Her shoulders slumped and she walked to class, hearing the bell ring.

Gabriella kept trying to make conversation with Troy, she refused to believe whatever that they had wasn't real, because it felt so real. She felt it. She really did.

She remembered his silly face in his attempts to make her smile when she was upset. "Look at me, Gabriella," Troy said, making one of his silliest faces, the one where he stuck his tongue out and his fingers pulled at the area below his eyes, stretching them. He was so cute then. desperately trying to make her laugh, to coax out one of her smiles. Adorable, she thought.

She remembered his laughter whenever she made one of her dry jokes. "Why did the chicken cross the road, Troy?" She asked. "Why?" Troy asked back. "Because it saw KFC opposite and wanted revenge!" It wasn't funny, it wasn't funny at all. But Troy laughed as if it was the funniest thing on Earth, his laughter rang out. Gabriella shivered, remembering his laugh.

She knew he was there somewhere, she just needed to lure him out. But there seemed no way. Every attempt Gabriella made to communicate with Troy was shut down. He ignored her when she followed him around. He was unresponsive when she talked to him. He did not care less about her.

Suddenly one day, as Gabriella was making her way to one of Troy's classes, she was pushed against the locker violently. "You fucking go near him again, you're dead," Sharpay growled in her ear. "Can't you see that he's not interested? He grew tired of you, so get over it, geek. He doesn't want you anymore. So stop being pathetic and hang onto him like some lost puppy." As quick as that Sharpay released her.

Her knees gave way and Gabriella sunk down, leaning against the locker, trembling from her recent assault. Students started filing in and she saw Troy, barely even giving her a glance as she was pushed around relentlessly in the crowd.

This is it, she thought, he doesn't want me anymore. What was she thinking... that's right. She wasn't thinking. She threw all good sense when it came to Troy, gambling only on feeling good. Sharpay was right. She should stop being pathetic and try to get Troy's attention like the hundreds of girls in the school. He probably fucked all of them too, she thought bitterly. Maybe love doesn't exists, maybe it does, but it's just not for her.

**Review, favourite and follow please! I would really like to know what you guys think^^ Thanks for reading once again!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I have combined the earlier chapters in one chapter so it's really long. Anyways, here's the next chpater! Hope you guys like it! And if you like it, do follow, favourite and leave a review! :)**

~1 year later~

"Gabriella, I saw this dress at the mall yesterday, and I was like, I totally had to get it. It's like, the most amazing dress I've ever seen, I swear." Gabriella rolled her eyes at her friend and took her lunch tray. She turned to Taylor, replying while holding her tray. "Taylor, you always think a dress is the most amazing dress ever and grow tired of it in, like, less than thre-" Gabriella's stopped when she accidentally bumped into someone.

"I am so so sorry. Oh my god," Gabriella apologised immediately, looking up at the person she bumped into, which unfortunately had some of her cheese from her fries all over their shirt. When she looked up, she was faced with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, staring into the depths that she craved to see in her every breathing day.

"Oh no, it's uh, it's okay," Troy mumbled distractedly, looking at the wisp of hair that escaped from her ponytail. It took all his self-control to resist the urge to tuck that lock of hair behind her ear.

Flushing, Gabriella avoided eye contact and walked away after murmuring "I'm sorry" once again. Troy watched her retreating back melting into the mass of crowd. Christ, he thought. She's even more beautiful than I remembered. He never saw her after he broke up with her. She'd avoided him at every corner, affording to attend lessons at another time if she had the same class as him and even using her lunch break to serve detention - if she even had detention - to avoid seeing him, since he got detention regularly.

"Troyyyyyyyyy..." Troy groaned when he recognised the whiny voice. "Back off, Sharpay," he warned. "Come on, Troy Boy. Are you pissed? I'll cheer you up. I got this amazing lingerie set from Victoria's Secrets, and it's so sexy... Wanna come over to my house later to check it out?" Sharpay purred.

"Huh? Oh, uh, I can't, sorry. I have a project with Penelope," Troy replied, his thoughts still on Gabriella. "But Troy, you can just ditch Penelope. I'm sure she can handle the project by herself. Come over to my house, yeah?" Sharpay persuaded. "Penelope can't be half as sexy as me," she winked.

"Bitch, what the hell did you say?!" Penelope overheard Sharpay's comment. Troy backed off, avoiding the cat fight he'd seen too many times. "Dude, you got two girls fighting over you. Man, that's hot," Chad licked his lips.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Yeah well I guess I'm lucky it's only two this time." During the year Troy and Gabriella had broken up, Troy was branded as available again, while Gabriella was simply labelled as "one of Troy's never-ending list of conquests". Girls constantly fought over him and friends turned against each other. Cat fights over him were frequent, painfully reminding Gabriella of his presence all the time.

"Gabs, you okay?" Taylor asked, concerned. Gabriella shrugged off her friend's concern dismissively. She couldn't be this affected everytime she saw him. That's ridiculous. It's been a year. She should have already been over him. He definitely moved on. I wonder how many girls he'd shagged, she thought bitterly, probably 20 or so. She hated that he still affected her, hated that he still had an effect on her. She hated that she is still somewhat attracted to him, hated that he didn't seem to care. She hated everything about him: the flippant attitude, his ego, the fact that he could get laid by anyone with just a crook of his finger. And most of all, she hated that he still attracted her.

"Alright, if you say so. Let's go to class I guess," Taylor conceded. Gabriella glanced at her watch and realised that Troy had occupied her thoughts for the last 15 minutes and she only had 5 minutes to snarf down her lunch before going to class.

She was dreading the next class - drama. She picked drama because she didn't have much of a choice. She had to choose between drama and physical education, and so obviously because of Troy, she picked drama.

She was walking to class with Taylor, discussing about the Pythagoras Theorem taught in the previous math lesson when she saw the blue-eyed beauty. She stopped short in her tracks, all the air leaving her body at once. She simply stood there, with her mouth hanging open. She probably looked like some kind of fan girl at seeing Troy, but that didn't matter. He's here. Some deep secret part of her is ecstatic that he's here. Troy turned around and when he saw her looking so awestruck at the door, his lips curled. Both their eyes locked and both were unable to stop looking at those eyes that haunted them every night, reminding them of the memories they once shared.

"Close your mouth, would you? Waiting for a fly to go in?" a girl said as she sashayed into the room. Just like that, the moment was broken. The intimate moment she and Troy shared just now is gone. Gabriella shook her head, physically trying to change her thoughts in her head.

She felt Taylor touch her shoulder, looking at her with a sympathetic expression. She shook her head again and made her way to her seat, with Taylor next to her. Troy was behind her, sitting with Chad, and she tried her damned best not be turn around, because she felt his gaze burning holes inside her head.

"Good morning, class!" Ms Darbus, whom Gabriella recognised to be her homeroom teacher, entered the room and greeted the class. She was dressed the part as well, with layers of colourful clothing, looking every bit of that drama teacher.

"God, not her," Taylor groaned.

Gabriella chuckled, "She's not that bad!"

"Right and I'm George Washington," Taylor retorted.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and refocused her attention to the colourful blur in front of her. "It's good to see so many if you picking drama as your elective instead of that dreaded physical education," Ms Darbus started, screwing her nose at the mention of "physical education".

This comment led Gabriella to think why Troy and Chad are here. She thought they would pick physical education for sure, which was a major contributor as to why she picked drama.

"Now, before I set some ground rules, I think I should rearrange your seating arrangement, don't you think? Because you're sitting with your friends, and that generates noise, lots of noise. Hmm, let's see..." Ms Darbus peered at the students through her glasses, contemplating on their seating arrangement.

"Ah, Mr Bolton. They told me you'd be here. It's a pleasure to have you here." Ms Darbus said, spotting the basketball coach's son. Irony found in her tone as her feud with the coach is infamous, and everyone in the school with eyes and ears, knows about it.

"I would say the same, miss, but I would be lying," Troy replied, smiling. Ms Darbus huffed as she thought about his seating arrangement. A smile came to her face as an idea struck her.

"Mr Bolton, please switch seats with Ms Mckessie here." Ms Darbus said, authoritatively. Troy's eyes widened and Gabriella's jaws dropped when both of them registered that they would be sitting next to each other.

"Change his seat? What?" A booming voice, which Gabriella recognised to be Chad, rung out behind her.

"Ms Darbus, ma'am, your honour," Chad pleaded. "You can't do this. Troy and I, we're brothers, you can't split brothers up!" He clapped on Troy's back for emphasis.

"Chad, this is what happens when you don't start caring about your grades. If you switch seats, Gabriella would be able to help Troy while Taylor would be able to help you. No arguments." Ms Darbus reasoned, putting her palm up towards Chad, silencing him when she saw that he was about to start.

"Okay, back to what I was saying," Ms Darbus resumed while Chad leaned back on his chair crossing his arms over his chest, "Mr Bolton, please switch seats with Miss Mckessie here." The class watched silently as neither of them made any attempt to move. "Now," Miss Darbus demanded.

All four victims of the switch groaned inwardly. Troy and Taylor started packing their things while Miss Darbus busied herself with other switches. Despite the seat arrangement still ongoing, Gabriella could feel multiple stares at the back of her head. She could even sense the hostility that were emitting from some of them. The tension only increased with the presence of Troy Bolton next to her. She knotted her fingers in her lap and kept her gaze down, using her hair as a shield to protect herself from his piercing gaze.

"Right, now that the seating arrangement is settled, we'll move on to the ground rules," Ms Darbus announced with surprising enthusiasm. The class groaned simultaneously. "First of all, cellphones must be off at all times. I cannot emphasise it any further..." Ms Darbus droned.

Gabriella zoned out on another of the teacher's long rants about "the evils of cellphones". Both Troy and Gabriella were acutely aware of each other while desperately trying not to show it, even though the chemistry they had before was painfully obvious.

Gabriella avoided eye contact with Troy and pretended that he is invisible. Well, she was trying to be invisible, to be exact. Even after a year, her heart hadn't fully healed. It's ridiculous. One year is a long time, yet she hadn't got over Troy Bolton. Right, she forgot, he is _the_ Troy Bolton, not just any random guy.

She still remembered his hands on her, she still remembered the way he called her "Brie", she still remembered how he was always there for her. But she also remembered the way he left her, she remembered the way he slapped her at the dance, she remembered the way he made her feel like shit. She remembered every painful detail about Troy. Even if she tried to forget, she can't. Those memories forced their way on her, coercing her to think about him.

The school bell rung, interrupting Gabriella's thoughts. She then realised she zoned out thinking about him - again. Rushing to pack her things, she wanted to get out if the classroom as soon as possible, to escape the presence of Troy Bolton. But just as she was about to step out of the door with Taylor and spill everything out to her, Ms Darbus raised her voice, saying, "oh and by the way class, we are scheduled to have a musical in three months. Do think about it and more details will be given next week!"

Both girls groaned. Not another musical, Gabriella thought. She have always admired the people who went on stage and performed for the school. She'd never have the courage, unlike Sharpay Evans. Speaking of which... "Where's Sharpay? Are you telling me she didn't pick drama?" Gabriella asked Taylor.

"I heard that the school is trying to groom 'well-rounded students' so people are not allowed to pick electives similar to their co-curriculum activity. Which explains why the jocks are in drama while Sharpay and her girls are in physical education," Taylor replied.

Right, that's just what Gabriella needed in her life: more drama. Her break-up with Troy had been somewhat a huge event - her being a nerd and all, dating East High's Goldon Boy - and when it ended, people naturally picked Troy's side. And now that they were in the same elective, in the same classroom, sitting next to one another, breathing the same air... Gabriella is sensing trouble.

**Review, favourite and follow please! I would really like to know what you guys think^^ Do check out two of my instagram accounts interestingtips and howcast_ and follow me maybe? :3 Thanks for reading once again!**


End file.
